Slow Tourism Recovery Means Discounts for Travelers

Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 11:07AM

Slow growth in the rate of South Florida tourism expected in 2011 will likely mean more discounts and deals in area hotels, restaurants and attractions says a Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel report.

The article sites several examples. Riverfront Cruise recently added an open bar for guests and is reaching out to hotel concierges to tout their cruise. The W Fort Lauderdale plans to more aggressively trim rates on slow days and charge more on busier ones to boost income on its 517 rooms.

Even though the growth rate is slow, there has been an increase in tourism revenues and this year's revenues should get a boost from several factors:

Port Everglades will host more and bigger cruise ships, including the newly arrived Allure of the Seas. Flights are being added at Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach airports. International tourism is growing, thanks to the weak dollar and surging economies of Latin America. Plus, corporate travel is picking up after its 2009 nosedive.